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Ex-leader Trump remarked on Saturday that the Russian-prepared peace plan constituted "not my final offer", following fierce backlash from Ukraine's officials and commentators that compared it to a Munich pact of 1938 between Chamberlain and Hitler.

During short comments from the White House, the US president informed reporters: Our goal is to achieve peace. This should have occurred earlier … we’re trying to get it ended, in any case we have to get it ended."

Forthcoming Switzerland Negotiations Include Multiple Nations

Ukrainian and American delegates will meet in Geneva this Sunday for discussions on the plan. Defense representatives from Germany, France, and the UK will also participate in these negotiations there.

Ahead of these discussions, US senators told media outlets that State Department head Marco Rubio contacted them during his travel to Geneva for clarification on the nature of the leaked plan. According to him, this plan did not originate from the administration but instead a "wish list of the Russians", as reported by independent Maine senator King, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zelenskyy Faces Critical Deadline

However, the former president has set Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday for signing the 28-point document. The document requires Kyiv to cede land under its control to Moscow, downsize its military forces, and relinquish advanced weaponry. Additionally, it rules out international peacekeepers and sanctions for Russian war crimes.

In a sombre speech on Friday, the Ukrainian leader cautioned that Ukraine faces an impossible choice over the coming days involving preserving its national dignity and losing a major partner like the United States. Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine is experiencing an extremely challenging period in its history.

Ukrainian Negotiating Delegation Appointed for Upcoming Talks

In comments on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that real or "dignified" resolution was always based on assured safety and fairness. He revealed a negotiating team, appointed through a decree, which will meet American representatives in Switzerland, headed by top aide Andriy Yermak.

A additional delegate from Ukraine's team, ex-defense head and national security council secretary Umerov, said they will hold discussions with the US "on the possible parameters of a future peace agreement".

Suggesting red lines, he added: Ukraine enters these talks with defined goals. This represents a continuation of recent discussions focused on harmonizing our plans for future actions."

International Reaction and Concerns

The Ukrainian president has sought to engage constructively with the US administration seemingly determined to end the conflict on the Kremlin’s one-sided terms. He has made clear he cannot give up Ukraine’s sovereignty or abandon a constitution that protects the country’s current borders.

At a meeting in South Africa, G20 leaders and the European Council issued a collective declaration opposing Trump’s plan, stating it needs "additional work". It said that members of the EU and NATO must be involved regarding certain clauses, which rule out Ukraine's NATO accession and put conditions on its future EU accession.

Public Opinion in Kyiv

Responses from Ukrainians to the proposal, prepared by a Russian representative and a US delegate, has been overwhelmingly hostile. Commentators said it outlined a plan for further Russian aggression: targeting not just Ukraine but of other parts of Europe as well.

Nayyem, a journalist and politician who led Ukraine’s 2014 pro-democracy Maidan revolution, remarked it drew comparisons with Chamberlain’s infamous Munich deal. The proposal belonged to a similar category, where the affected party is asked "to formulate his own defeat so everyone else can live easier".

In a Facebook post, he said he was outraged by the complete pardon for Russian atrocities. This offended those who sought shelter in Bucha or Mariupol – sites of civilian executions – and for those whose children had been forcibly deported to Russia. "A rather cynical agreement," he stated.

Speaking in a Kyiv subway station, Dmytro Sariskyi, 21, said that Russia had been trying to dominate Ukraine "for years". The agreement offered very little in the proposed deal and continued to keep troops in Ukraine. "I think the deal is an attempt to break Ukraine and force unjust conditions on us," he said.

If Zelenskyy signed off on the proposals Kyiv would be forced to give up its freedoms, he said. If it didn’t, the US might cease collaboration and intelligence exchange, a vital resource of military intelligence for Ukraine's forces. Currently, there is no favorable solution, he remarked.

Diverse Viewpoints from Ukrainian Citizens

A different commuter, teenager Sofia Barchan, asserted that the country would "keep strong" without American support. "We will fight for as long as it takes. Our territory will remain our territory, including Crimea and the east. They are Ukrainian land." She expressed that the president is intelligent and forecasted he would not give up Ukrainian land.

Speaking during rainfall, next to a replica of Kyiv’s original medieval gate, Olena Ivanovna said her appreciation to the former US leader for his peace-making efforts. She said that Ukraine should be ready to give away certain regions for a limited time if it meant maintaining US support. "President Zelenskyy should hold a referendum and ask the people," she proposed.

EU Officials Criticize the Proposal

Previous European leaders have strongly criticized the plan. Ex-PM of Finland Marin described it as a disaster, affecting not just Ukraine but for "all of the democratic world". She warned if the west showed weakness and ignorance – as it did in 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea – "more aggression and conflicts" could arise.

The former prime minister of Belgium, Verhofstadt, quoted Churchill’s definition regarding appeasement as "one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". He added: Trump aligns with Putin. Europe faces a choice between compromise and principles. A critical juncture for the European Union."